The Tennessee Titans got their quarterback of the future in Round 2 of the NFL Draft on Friday night, selecting Kentucky standout Will Levis. Many expected the team to select him in Round 1, but Titans GM Ran Carthon revealed why that didn’t happen.
Tennessee ended up going with Northwestern offensive lineman Peter Skoronski with the No. 11 pick. Skoronski was regarded by most as one of the most NFL-ready players in the draft, and a player that Carthon simply couldn’t pass on.
Carthon spoke to the media after the conclusion of Day 2 of the draft where he revealed that Levis would have “been in the conversation” if Skoranski wasn’t available at pick 11.
#Titans GM Ran Carthon says had Peter Skoronski not been there at No. 11, Will Levis was in the conversation for Tennessee at that pick.
— Ben Arthur (@benyarthur) April 29, 2023
Instead, it took a trade-up with the Arizona Cardinals for the No. 33 pick to select Levis, which Carthon appears to be very happy about.
“Will’s ability to work, he is really bright, really smart,” Carthon said about Levis. “He puts a lot of the time in to be a good quarterback. So we appreciate his ability to pick up concepts and things quickly. He’s hard-wired and he’s tough. When we brought him here our coaches and scouting staff had good interactions with him.”
Ran Carthon on Will Levis as a person. #Titans pic.twitter.com/C5qSO0Njk8
— TURRON DAVENPORT (@TDavenport_NFL) April 29, 2023
Levis probably isn’t thrilled that he fell so far. However, for the Titans it couldn’t have worked out better, getting a very talented offensive lineman in Skoranski followed by a promising quarterback in Levis with their first two picks.
It seems like initially Levis will not be handed anything. Titans head coach Mike Vrabel revealed that Levis will start as the team’s third-string quarterback behind Ryan Tannehill and Malik Willis as they head into OTAs starting next month.
Vrabel says Ryan Tannehill will be the #Titans' starter, Malik Willis the backup and Will Levis No. 3 to start. Then competition will work out who's starting when the season begins.
— Teresa Walker 👑 (@TeresaMWalker) April 29, 2023
[Turron Davenport on Twitter, Ben Arthur on Twitter]
